The International Centre for Trade & Sustainable Development
(ICTSD) and the Quaker UN Office (QUNO) are holding a Dialogue
on "IPRs in Bilateral and Regional Trade Agreements and
Public Health" on 4th November (19h30-21-30) at Hotel Royal
in Geneva for a number of developing country government officials
dealing with intellectual property and health issues.

The purpose of the dialogue is to present recent developments
and research relating to intellectual property (IP) provisions
in bilateral and regional trade agreements and their implications
on public health.

Recent years have witnessed a proliferation of bilateral and
regional trade agreements between developed and developing countries.
Many of these agreements include IP provisions (often referred
to as "TRIPS-plus" standards), that go beyond the
minimum standards established by the TRIPS Agreement and may
affect the ability of developing countries to use the flexibilities
contained in the Agreement for the purpose of protecting public
health and promoting affordable access to medicines.

What are the main features of these IP provisions? What is
their impact on the price of medicines and public health as
shown by recent empirical research? How can governments deal
with these provisions when negotiating bilateral and regional
agreements and implementing them? These are some of the questions
that will be discussed at the dialogue.